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A 24-year-old man developed a severe pleuropulmonary infection with Mycobacterium kansasii 18 months after receiving a kidney transplant from his mother. Intestinal malabsorption with severe diarrhea and a skin abscess disappeared and his pneumonia was cured when Rifampin was administered. This suggested that generalized dissemination with M. kansasii may have been present.

One hundred and thirty-five patients with bacterial pneumonia who had risk factors (alcoholism, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, corticosteroid therapy diabetes mellitus, advanced age, solid tumours) were randomly allocated in a double-blind fashion to receive either ceftizoxime (2-4 g every 8 h), cefotaxime (1-2 g every 4 h), or latamoxef (2-4 g every 8 h). Of the 84 patients evaluable for efficacy, clinical cure was achieved in 91%, 85%, and 89% of ceftizoxime- (20/22), cefotaxime-(23/27), and latamoxef-treated (31/35) patients, respectively. Adverse reactions occurred in one of 45 ceftizoxime-treated patients, one of 43 cefotaxime-treated patients, and seven of 47 latamoxef-treated patients. Abnormal laboratory values during therapy were seen in 50% of latamoxef-treated and 43% of cefotaxime-treated patients and in 29% of ceftizoxime-treated patients. Hypoprothrombinaemia occurred in five latamoxef-treated patients and one of these patients experienced an episode of haematemesis. In this study, ceftizoxime, cefotaxime, and latamoxef were similarly effective; however, the incidence of side effects was most frequent with latamoxef.

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